Starfish Island Read online

  Nicole hesitated, afraid to go any farther. Suddenly, she heard voices. She looked back and pressed her hand over her mouth to hold back a scream. There were two voices, too low-pitched to make out who was talking, and they were getting closer.

  Shaking off her paralysis, she slipped inside the townhome and closed the door softly behind her. She leaned against it until her breathing returned to normal. What am I going to do? Nicole was too afraid to go back and too afraid to go ahead. Finally, her heart steadied, and she scolded herself for being afraid.

  Focus and think about Victoria.

  With one hand against the wall, she slowly groped her way up the stairs. The darkness seemed to enclose her and shut her in. At the top of the stairs, her foot came down hard on the wooden floor as she miscalculated, thinking there was another step. The noise was deafening.

  She waited for a moment and weighed her options; she could turn and run out of the townhome or keep going and find out who was behind the door with the light coming from beneath it. She steeled herself and moved forward quietly, holding her breath as she listened.

  She put her ear to the door and immediately heard Victoria. “Of course I believe you, Greg. I never doubted you for a moment.”

  “Then you’ll marry me?”

  After a slight pause, Victoria spoke again, sounding uncertain. “Greg, are you sure you love me?”

  He gave her the low, throaty growl of a laugh that had once sent shivers of pleasure up Nicole’s spine. She strained her ears but couldn’t make out his response.

  “Marry you right away?” Victoria gasped.

  Greg murmured again.

  “All right,” Victoria said at last. “But I wish I could tell someone first.”

  Nicole heard a faint creak coming from the floor below her. Had she really heard a footstep, or had the wind picked up again? Her fingers on the doorknob, without thinking about it, she closed her fingers on the doorknob, turned it, and went in.

  Victoria, in knee-length shorts and heels, sat on a rickety cane-backed chair at an old marred and scratched table. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes misty with unshed tears. Greg, handsome as ever, was also in shorts. His hair was windblown, and he stood with his back to the door, looking down at Victoria.

  Victoria saw Nicole first, and her eyes grew wide with surprise. “How did you find me?” she gasped.

  Greg turned swiftly. Seeing Nicole, his smiling mouth hardened.

  “Victoria,” Nicole said, coming into the room, “I want to talk to you.”

  “Don’t listen to her, sweetheart,” Greg said to Victoria. “She’ll only try to poison your mind against me. She’s jealous.” When no one spoke, Greg let out a low whistle. “Nicole, did you come to tell me I was wrong? That you loved only me all along?”

  “You really don’t understand, do you, Greg? It would never work with us,” Nicole said evenly. “You never loved me. You’ve never loved anyone but yourself. So let’s not waste time pretending.” She turned to Victoria. “Please let me take you home,” she pleaded.

  For a moment, Victoria’s defiant expression wavered. Greg squeezed her shoulder, and it firmed up again. “No, I’m going to marry Greg tonight. No one can stop me.”

  Nicole turned to Greg and met his eyes steadily. He gave her a triumphant smile. “You heard her,” he jeered. “She’s going to marry me tonight, and there’s nothing you can do about it.”

  “This isn’t Nevada. At the very least, you’ll have to wait until morning. There’s a lot that can be done about it. You can’t marry Victoria.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because,” Nicole told him, “she needs her guardian’s approval or she’ll be disinherited.”

  Greg absorbed the shock, his eyes stared blankly, mouth hanging open. “Is that true?” he asked Victoria.

  She nodded, looking ashamed at being caught in such a childish deception.

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” he shouted.

  “What does it matter?” she wailed, her face white, clutching at her stomach as his angry words struck her like a slap.

  Nicole started to protest his behavior but stopped herself. No, she thought, it’s better for Victoria to be hurt now, see what he’s really like.

  “Why did you lie to me?” he shouted.

  “I thought it wouldn’t matter.” Her sobs grew heavier.

  “You see, it’s no use,” Nicole said. “If you elope with Victoria, you won’t get your greedy mitts on one dime of her money.”

  Victoria wiped her eyes. “Money? As though that matters to Greg.”

  “Doesn’t it, Victoria? Look at his face.”

  Victoria turned to look at Greg. His handsome face had changed beyond recognition: nostrils flared, lips drawn back from his teeth in rage.

  He grabbed Victoria’s arm, clearly out of control, and twisted her chin up, forcing her to look at him. “You little fool. When I think of the risk I’ve taken, wasting valuable time when I could be getting away,” he growled.

  “Don’t you love me anymore?” Victoria shook, still in denial about the scene unfolding before her.

  “Love you?” Spit droplets landed on her cheek. “If you’d told me the truth at the beginning, I wouldn’t have wasted two minutes on you.”

  Victoria covered her face with her hands, sobbing like a small, desolate child. Nicole moved toward her, one hand outstretched in sympathy. As if sensing her approach, Victoria’s shoulder hunched in further. Not yet, Nicole decided, dropping her hand to her side. She’s not ready for my sympathy.

  Greg turned on Nicole. “Why can’t you just forgive me?” He still couldn’t believe his charm wouldn’t work.

  “Of course I can’t forgive you. Not because of what you did to me, that doesn’t matter anymore, but because of what you’re doing to Victoria. She’s just out of college and has no experience with bastards like you.”

  Greg stepped forward and grabbed a fistful of Nicole’s hair. Swinging her around and holding her in a vice-like grip, he reached out and locked the door with his other hand. He put the key in his pocket and stood looking at her, his eyes bright. “Sorry for all the dramatics, but if you want to get out of here, you’ll have to give me what I want.”

  “And what is that?” Nicole asked, surveying the only two ways out of the room—the locked door and the second floor window. Both were poor choices.

  “Marry me.”

  “That’s ridiculous.”

  He shook her hard. “I’m telling you…” he warned, biting back the rest. Even if he didn’t hurt her some other way, she’d have a sore neck by the time he was done.

  She made no attempt to resist. Her green eyes met his sadly. “I can’t, Greg, and I won’t. How could you involve yourself in a fraud? You’re throwing your life away—and for what?” Something in her tone, in her expression, made him step back. He loosened his grip, and she stumbled away.

  Greg’s face seemed to collapse, as though he knew the game was over. He leaned against the door, guarding it, but his knees folded, and he didn’t look like he could hold himself upright without the support.

  “I had to have the money to get ahead,” he said as he wrung his hands. “When you wouldn’t marry me, I needed another rich woman, fast.”

  “Not such an easy mark, after all,” Nicole said with disgust.

  “It wasn’t like that. I loved you,” he said.

  Nicole laughed. “Loved me? You’re living in a dream world. Or you think I am. Face reality, Greg.” Once again, she’d laughed at the wrong moment. Greg couldn’t take ridicule. He believed all the lies he told about himself and would never accept the truth.

  “You’ve been in my way for far too long now, haven’t you, Nicole? You’re nothing but a stumbling block that needs to be removed. Fine, don’t marry me—but this is the last time you’ll interfere in my life.” Something different crossed his face, an unhinged look in his eyes.

  It’s just Greg, she told herself, only Greg. He wouldn’t hurt me...would he? Wher
e the heck is Michael? Surely he’d received her message by now.

  Nicole looked around the room for something she could use to incapacitate Greg, but didn’t see anything. Maybe she could get close enough to use her knee. She had to move quickly; she was more afraid than she’d ever been in her life.

  “How did you even get involved in this scam?” she asked, playing for time. She moved back step by step as he advanced.

  “Always in the way,” he muttered, as if he hadn’t heard her. He flexed his fingers. “My associates don’t excuse failure.”

  “You wouldn’t hurt me,” she whispered.

  He avoided her eyes.

  Victoria had curled into a ball in the corner, eyes wide with fear, not saying a word.

  Nicole had backed almost all the way to the wall. “Greg, come one step closer, and I’ll scream.”

  “Go ahead. Who’s going to hear you?”

  “Why?” She stepped sideways, out of his reach. “Why?”

  “Because these people play for keeps. They don’t forgive mistakes. All you had to do was marry me. You messed everything up!”

  “But why hurt me?” Nicole found herself trapped in the corner. “You don’t want to do something that gets you the death penalty. Give yourself up.”

  “It’s you or me now. This is the only choice I have,” Greg said.

  “It’s already too late, Greg. Michael knows I’m here, and he’s on his way,” Nicole told him, praying it was true.

  “I can still get out. My associates will protect me.”

  “Do you really trust them that far?”

  Greg lunged toward her, and she planted her foot in his groin. He crumpled to the floor, doubling over with a groan. At that moment, something hit the locked door—hard. Two or three thunderous kicks later, the door slammed open and hit the wall. Facing them was Zander Farrell, a revolver in his hand.

  Victoria’s sobs broke off, catching in her throat as she heard the click of the gun being cocked. The two women watched and waited.

  “Out of my way,” Greg said as he stumbled to his feet. “I’m in a hurry.”

  “I’ll bet you are,” Zander said with a laugh. “Not so fast, Templeton.”

  Zander reached for him as Greg charged past him through the doorway, and they traded punches, but Greg’s went wide. Zander’s sent him backward down the narrow staircase, the frail railing shaking.

  Nicole took advantage of the moment to hurry over and join Victoria, who lifted her tear-stained face, hiccupping, groping for Nicole’s hand. She clung to her like a lost child.

  A gunshot rang out in the darkness. The women stared at one another. It was followed by a crash that brought them to their feet, then the sound of something falling and another gunshot.

  Silence.

  Were they both dead? What had happened down there in the dark?

  Footsteps again, one pair coming up the stairs. After a moment, Zander stood in the doorway, his shirt ripped, collar hanging open, wiping his bloody nose on his sleeve. He looked from one woman to the other, panting. Then he said, “You ladies better go home. There’s nothing you can do here, and you don’t want to be involved.”

  “Is Greg dead?” Nicole asked.

  Zander smiled, his bruised face looking boyish. He sobered quickly. “I handcuffed him to the railing. You two need to leave now.” He disappeared back down the stairs.

  Nicole led Victoria out of the room. The light snapped on suddenly, and they saw that the stairs were empty. Greg lay in a heap at the bottom, a gaping wound in his shoulder. His hands were cuffed around the railing behind him, and his eyes were closed. Slowly, the two women edged down the stairs.

  Greg’s eyes fluttered open, and he stirred uneasily, seeing them. “Nicole,” he pleaded.

  For a long moment, she looked down at him, then turned away, digging in her pockets for her phone. Where the heck had Zander gone? Her phone eluding her for the moment, Nicole decided she’d call the police once she and Victoria were outside.

  “Ready, Victoria?” She hurried the other woman out the door.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  IGNORING THE SPEED limit, Michael raced through the streets on the way to Templeton’s hotel.

  “I don’t understand. If Victoria did overhear your conversation this afternoon and went to tell Greg, his best bet was to leave town immediately. Why take Victoria?” Jake blew out a breath of frustration.

  “If he’s convinced Victoria to stay with him, the reason is money. It always is with that bastard.”

  “He doesn’t have much of a head start. If they are together, we should be able to catch up with them,” Jake said.

  “I won’t rest until Greg Templeton is behind bars.” Michael hit the steering wheel with his fist. “First the blackmail scheme, then he decided to go after Nicole and her money. Thank heavens she saw through him. And now it’s Victoria and her money.”

  There was a loud bang, and the car swerved. It required all Michael’s strength to hold it on the road. For a split second, he thought they were being shot at; then he realized his back tire had blown. He finessed the car slowly off to the side of the road and leaped out. The landscape was flooded with milky light from the full moon.

  Fortunately, he always made sure his spare tire was in good condition. He furiously jacked up the car and took the shredded tire off. Jake rolled it to one side while Michael lifted the new one in place, the two of them working together at top speed. They were nearly finished when Jake saw lights in the distance. In a moment, the car had passed, going way too fast.

  Nicole’s car. Nicole at the wheel.

  Jake tore out into the road, waving frantically. “Nicole,” he shouted. “Nicole. Stop.” But she’d raced by without a glance.

  “Nicole?” Michael shouted, dropping the lug wrench. “Where’s she going so fast?”

  “Your guess is as good as mine,” Jake said. “Let’s get out of here so we can find out just what’s going on.”

  “I’ll bet this is the world’s record for changing a tire.” Michael laughed.

  Jake tossed the old tire in the trunk while Michael ran around and started the car. Barely waiting for Jake to get in, he jammed his foot on the gas and raced off after Nicole.

  “With everything that’s going on, all I need is for something to happen to Nicole.” Michael kept his eyes peeled, surprised he hadn’t overtaken her by now. Unless she’d turned off somewhere. But where? What was around here?

  Finally, the lights of the hotel loomed up ahead. Michael pulled into valet parking, tossing the man his keys and a twenty to keep the car in front. He and Jake hurried inside.

  There was no sign of either Victoria or Greg in the lobby, and no one behind the front desk. They followed the faint sound of music coming from the dining room. Only a few tables were occupied, and the people they sought weren’t at any of them, nor were they among the dancers in the cleared space in the center of the room.

  Michael turned and headed straight to the concierge desk. Nothing goes on in a hotel that the concierge doesn’t know about. “Have you seen Greg Templeton this evening?”

  “Mr. Templeton?” she said. “I’m not certain… May I inquire who’s asking?”

  “My name is Michael Edwards,” he said, and gave the woman some money to jog her memory.

  “Ah yes. He left a short time ago in a big hurry after talking with a young lady here in the lobby. They left together.”

  Michael sucked in his breath. “What did she look like?”

  The woman behind the desk gave a perfect description of Victoria.

  “Thank you,” Michael said, making an effort to appear calm. “We just missed them. We must have gotten our signals crossed.”

  He turned, bumping into Jake, and repeated what the concierge had told him. They were nearly at the door when she caught up with them.

  “Mr. Edwards, I almost forgot. There’s a message for you. A Nicole Alexander telephoned.” Before he had a chance to look down at the message slip
she’d handed him, she added, “She said the location of your meeting has been changed.”

  “Go on,” Michael said in an agony of impatience. “What else?”

  “The address she gave me is on the back.”

  “Thanks,” he called out, pulling Jake by the arm. The valet had the Ferrari waiting, door open, and moments later, they rocketed out of the driveway back in the direction they’d come.

  As they sped along, Michael said, “Jake, I’ll bet Nicole’s right about where he’s gone.”

  “But how could she know where he is?” Jake asked, peering at the address slip as if it could tell him.

  Michael laughed, a harsh sound that hurt his throat. “Templeton. It would be just like him to tell Nicole where he could be reached. As if she’d care. Based on the address, it would be a perfect place to take Victoria. Once she told him about the FBI, Templeton must have known it was only a matter of time before they got to the hotel. So he’s taken her someplace safe to make plans before he takes off.”

  “I hope you’re right,” Jake said.

  The two lapsed into silence.

  “That must be where Nicole was going so fast,” Michael said finally. Doesn’t waste a minute. Who’d said that? Of course, it was Sadler.

  I could have told him anything he wanted to know about Nicole Alexander, Michael mused, after studying her for so long. I could have told him about her success as a painter, that she’s respected by her peers and has achieved standing in the art world. Or about how her face lights up when she smiles and her great sense of humor; she’s quick to laugh at herself. I could have told him about envying the men she was with, wanting her to myself, wanting to hold her in my arms.

  Hey, man, back to reality. Stop with the fantasies; you have work to do. Keep your mind on the job.

  He took a corner in a quiet residential neighborhood at high speed, hitting the brakes to avoid taking out a line of parked cars. Michael and Jake were surprised to see a half-dozen cars blocking the road with a bunch of men milling around them.